


Out of Sight

by afewmistakesago



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, best of both worlds, current canon, lil angst, lil fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-24
Updated: 2015-11-24
Packaged: 2018-05-03 04:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5275760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afewmistakesago/pseuds/afewmistakesago
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anonymous Asked: Not sure if you are still accepting prompts, but here is one that came mind this morning: Rumbelle is tired of freak accidents/villains of the week/old relatives, etc constantly tearing them apart. So, they decide to pretend like they broke up and secretly remain married to see if they obtain better results.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out of Sight

The sun is out, so Belle parks a safe distance away from the pink mansion, her new car still bearing a temporary license plate. When she’s positive Archie and Pongo have passed, Belle walks with Granny’s to-go bags in hand to Rumple’s house. He’s not expecting her yet, and she can hear him shuffling pots and pans in the kitchen. She should’ve called to say she’d bring dinner, but calling might be risky.

“Hey,” she says softly when she enters. He looks over his shoulder, smiling at her. He’s surprised, but pleasantly. “I’m home.”

“You are,” he says, stepping towards her, away from the stove. He wraps an arm around her waist, kissing the top of her head. “Dinner?” he asks quietly, taking the bags from her hands and putting them on the table.

“Mmhmm,” she says, distributing the contents of the bag to their two seats as he pours two glasses of wine.

He seems tired, more so than usual, and Belle reaches her hand out to cover his. “Everything go okay today?”

“Same as usual,” he says, settling back in his chair with a shrug. “Open the shop, Regina needs my help, ate lunch, David needs my help, closed the shop. And you?”

Belle nods, thinking back on her day. “Opened the library, helped some people find books, helped Snow figure out a tracking potion. Henry came by, by the way, he says he hopes we get back together soon.”

“What did you say to that?” Rumple asks with a knowing smile, and Belle sighs. “I told him that being an adult in a relationship is tricky, and that we’re likely done for good,” she says, finishing in a “no-nonsense” tone Belle had on reserve for children in the library who liked to climb the shelves.

“That works,” Rumple says, “And hopefully the message is transmitted to his mothers.”

“Hopefully,” Belle replies with a nod, taking a bite of her lukewarm burger and smiling.

“Something funny?” Rumple asks, catching the change in her demeanor.

“I was at the hospital today with Snow, and, uh, Dr. Whale made an interesting offer,” she says, her cheeks going crimson, “but I told him I wasn’t ready to move onto anyone new just yet.”

Rumple makes an upset noise, “Whale’s gunning to lose his arm,” he says grumpily.

Belle laughs, reaching to touch his shoulder reassuringly. “He thinks I’m single,” she reminds him. She realizes Rumple’s staring at her hand.  _She forgot._  Her ring. Belle sets her burger back on the plate, stands, and walks towards the island. Slipping the ring onto her finger, she holds out her hand and admires the way the diamonds catch in the light. She steps back, finding Rumple is standing behind her. He wraps his arms around her waist, and she sighs into him, twisting her body to face his. “How long can we do this?” she whispers as she buries her face in his neck.

They’re swaying together in the kitchen, and Rumple reaches to cup her cheek in his hand. Her eyes are wide and questioning, and he sighs. “You know we can’t - can’t act like we’re together,” he says, sounding defeated. “If we’re together for even a moment alone in the shop or the library, someone races in with a crisis or a villain or an open-ended portal, and we end up separated…”

“I know,” she says, her voice strained, “but I can’t only love you from 8pm to 8am. I miss eating lunch with you, I miss you hanging around the library, hell, I miss inventory at the shop.”

“I miss you, too,” he confesses, “which is crazy because you’re right here.”

“We can’t keep going like this,” Belle says, “It’s only been a week, but, it’s been awful. Breaking up is hard to do.”

She steps away, biting her thumbnail and pacing around the island. He watches, leaning on the counter and seeing the wheels turn in her brain. “I know - I know I said we couldn’t do this before, but I think I’m ready,” Belle says.

Rumple’s expression is confusion, so she clarifies. “We should leave Storybrooke. Forever.”

She’s back in front of him, a serious look on her face. “Are you sure?” he asks, “You didn’t want to do that the last time I suggested it.”

Belle rolls her eyes. “There were extenuating circumstances. I just realized, I guess, that there’s always going to be conditions on our relationship, or a wicked witch, or an ice queen here.”

“Or two Dark Ones,” finishes Rumple.

“Or two Dark Ones,” she repeats softly. She gives him a sneaky look. “One Dark One? I figured out how to handle  _one_  Dark One.” Belle lifts her arms around his neck and steps onto her tip toes, kissing him slowly. She leans into him, and he holds her tightly. When they break apart, she smiles, her mouth still hovering on top of his. “See why we need to leave? I need to be able to do that whenever I want to.”

He nods. “I concur. I can work on making a new potion to get us over the town line if you can figure out what we’re telling Henry.”

Belle steps away from him, reaching for a framed picture. It’s of Neal and Henry, for the brief blissful period they were both in Storybrooke. “He’s a good kid,” she says softly. “I’ll miss him.”

“We can come back,” Rumple says, “In a few years. Or we can give him an address, to visit us. It doesn’t have to be forever.”

“I know,” Belle says, though she sounds a bit teary. “I’m glad we’re doing this. I’ve been thinking, recently, I can’t picture myself starting a family here with all the crises.”

He gulps, taking in what she meant about starting a family. His fears about fatherhood have begun slowly growing each time Belle hinted at her desire to have a baby, but that was a fear to conquer another day. Someone knocks at the door.

“Seriously?” Belle groans, “I’ll stay back here. You go figure out who it is.”

Rumple exits, and she can hear the low, rumble-y voice of Leroy. “I saw Belle’s car, I know she’s here, too,” she hears, and Belle sighs. They really can’t ever be together alone without someone bursting forth with their own issues. Soon, though, they’ll flee this town and begin a new life, one where they won’t have to worry about myths and legends separating them again.

They’ll begin a real happily ever after that doesn’t involve fake break-ups and old ghosts and too many relatives. 


End file.
